Voter turnout is sluggish in Florida's primary election

Only two out of every 10 registered voters _ 20.39 percent _ voted in the primary, according to the state Division of Elections. It was a better turnout than the 17.7 percent in the last presidential year primary in 2008 but below the nearly 22 percent in the 2010 primary. Overall, 2.33 million voters went to the polls out of 11.4 million registered voters.

The heaviest turnout, as is typical in Florida primaries, was in the smaller, more rural counties. Liberty County, a sparsely populated region in the Panhandle, led the way with a 66 percent turnout, with voters attracted to the polls by a very competitive sheriff’s race, a school superintendent contest and several competitive races for the county commission and school board.

Turnout was more sluggish in Florida’s largest counties, with Broward County claiming the distinction of having the lowest turnout at 10.64 percent. Broward is also Florida’s largest most-Democratic county, raising the question of voter enthusiasm, which won’t be settled until the Nov. 6 general election.

Lloyd Dunkelberger

Lloyd Dunkelberger is the Htpolitics.com Capital Bureau Chief.
He can be reached by email or call 850 556-3542.
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Last modified: August 15, 2012
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